Torness power station

Torness is a nuclear power station on the east coast of Scotland, 33 miles east of Edinburgh. It is capable of supplying electricity to over 2 million UK homes.

In 2022 Torness generated enough electricity to meet the needs of every home in Scotland for 9 months

Avoiding 2.5m tonnes of CO2 emissions*

Like taking 1.2m cars off UK roads for a year

*when compared to direct emissions of combined cycle gas turbines | all figures rounded to the nearest hundred thousand

About Torness

  • Station Director: Paul Forrest
  • Reactor type: 2 Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors
  • Total supply to the national grid: 1190 MW
  • Coolant: Carbon dioxide gas (CO2)
  • Start of construction: 1980
  • Start of generation: 1988
  • Estimated end of generation: 2028
  • People: Approximately 550 full time EDF employees plus over 180 full time contract partners
  • Daily plant status - find out which reactors at our nuclear power stations are in service and what they are generating (data updated on weekdays)

Have you ever wondered about nuclear power’s carbon footprint?

A new analysis of Torness' lifecycle has revealed the carbon impacts are not what you might expect.

Visit Torness power station

This centre was recently awarded five stars by Visit Scotland for its standard of customer care and range of facilities. 

The visitor centre has an interactive exhibition to help visitors learn about nuclear power generation. We have a fantastic classroom facility and you can also pre-book a tour of the power station for free. 

Tour Information

Tour time: Approx 1.5 hours.

Minimum age: Minimum age for the station tour is 8 years old.

Bookings must be made at least 3 weeks in advance.

You will be accompanied by a trained station guide and will include the reactor viewing gallery and the turbine hall.  All site tours include a safety and security briefing and the issue of relevant PPE (personal protective equipment).

Visitor Centre Opening Hours

We are open Monday to Thursday 09:00 – 16:00. For now we can only accommodate large groups on a Monday (maximum size of 20).

Whilst we welcome drop-in visitors please be aware that the Centre will be closed if we are out on a tour.

Covid Safety
Although there is no longer a legal requirement to wear face coverings we still strongly recommend that visitors wear them in our indoor spaces to help protect themselves and our staff. We want you to have a safe and enjoyable visit. Please do not visit the Visitor Centre if you or anyone in your household has any symptoms of Coronavirus.

Frequently asked questions

If you have any questions about the visitor centre, or about taking a tour, please check our FAQs.

If you have any questions about the visitor centre, or about taking a tour, please contact our visitor centre co-ordinator:

Telephone: 01368 873909
Address: Torness power station, Dunbar, East Lothian. EH42 1QS
Email: tornessvisitorcentre@edf-energy.com

Find out more about Torness

Community

EDF hold regular meetings (Local Liaison Council or LLC) with local people, the media, council and emergency services representatives and local politicians to maintain regular communications about the nuclear site. 

Torness annual LLC meeting minutes April 2023

Next meeting:

  • Our Public Meeting will be held on 8 November 2023 from 14:30 – 16:00 in Dunbar
  • The next LLC Annual Meeting will be held on 6 March 2024 from 10:00 – 12:00
Torness nuclear power station

Contact Torness

  • Address:
    EDF Torness power station
    Torness
    Dunbar
    East Lothian EH42 1QS

    Reception:
    +44 (0)1368 873000
  • Media requests:
    Fiona McCall
    +44 (0)1355 846281

    Community requests:
    Ashleigh Dickson
    +44 (0)1368 873 000

Latest news and community updates

Format: 27/09/2023
Format: 27/09/2023
L-R: Matt Sykes (Managing Director, EDF Generation), Matthew French, Stuart Crooks (Managing Director, Hinkley Point C)
Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Torness apprentice comes top of the class

A Torness apprentice has been recognised for his performance at EDF’s annual apprenticeship graduation ceremony in Somerset. Matthew French was named “Apprentice of the Year” out of 23 apprentices from across EDF’s UK fleet.

Find out more about EDF